Often an individual desires a light focused to illuminate an area while performing a task or light directed in a general outward direction for visibility. Holding a flashlight is an option, but such lighting devices are often cumbersome and may detract from the task being completed because the flashlight needs to be held to direct light at a work site where the user needs illumination. As a result, hands-free lighting is often used because the individual desiring illumination does not need to hold the light source.
Lighted headgear may include illumination sources mounted to various types of headgear and hats. Light sources can include one or more LEDs and can be directed in such a manner so that a field of view is illuminated. Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,618 discloses examples of such lighted headgear and hats. Such LED lighted headgear, which may include LEDs mounted to a typical baseball-style cap, are convenient for hands-free lighting in a number of recreational activities.
Lighted headgear may include separate components, such as one housing or assembly to hold a power source and other electrical components and a separate housing or assembly to contain the illumination source. Other lighted hats may contain all electrical components within a crown and/or brim portion of the hat. In each case, the lighted headgear includes a light switch or switch device that is operable to establish electrical communication between the power source and the illumination source. The illumination source can be energized once the switch actuator is depressed, slid, or otherwise shifted to an on position. For example, it is known to place a push button switch underneath the fabric covering the rigid brim material.
In many cases, the lighted headgear is displayed on a store shelf in a manner so that a potential purchaser can operate the switch to turn on the light source. To this end, the hat may be provided to the store with a power source already included so that the light source can be energized by the consumer. While this configuration provides the consumer with an opportunity to view the operation of the energized light source, the light source can be left in an “on” state on the shelf, which undesirably drains the power source. Additionally, because the lighted headgear may be shipped in bulk to the store with the power source included, the light source can also be unintentionally energized through contact of the switch actuator with an adjacently packed hat, shipping container, or shelf. In particular, where the light switch is mounted to the hat brim, it has been found that the light source can be inadvertently energized during the shipping process by the hat brim of one hat engaging or depressing the switch actuator of another hat nested therewith. Such inadvertent energization can drain the power source prior to the hat's display on the store shelf.
If the power source is completely drained by such events, a subsequent consumer would not be able to try the lighted features of the hat and would be required to purchase a new power source, which can dissuade the consumer from purchasing the hat. If the power source is only partially drained, the light sources may receive a reduced power flow which can undesirably reduce the brightness of the light sources, and/or a consumer would be able to try the lighted features of the hat, but would be faced with a shortened power source life after purchase. Both of these scenarios can hurt consumer goodwill and result in negative feedback.
Prior packaging arrangements have been configured to allow actuation of a switch to momentarily activate a power source while an item is encased with the packaging, but such prior packaging is generally a blister-type pack that completely encases the product so that it tends to be bulky and distracts from the appearance of the item within the package. Moreover, such prior blister-pack arrangements generally do not have packaging that will substantially prevent inadvertent actuation of the switch that might cause power to drain from the battery. Therefore, when these prior packaging designs are shipped in bulk, there is the risk that engagement between adjacent packages could energize the light source and drain the battery.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,837 to Blaustein discloses a bulky blister pak for an electric toothbrush that allows momentary activation of the toothbrush while within the packaging material by permitting a switch actuator to be depressed momentarily, but attempts to block continuous actuation of the power source by hindering the sliding of the switch actuator to a permanently “on” position. To this end, Blaustein permits the momentary depressing of its switch actuator by relying on the flexibility of the blister pak material covering the switch actuator that can easily deform to allow the switch actuator to be depressed, but then includes a single, narrow rib adjacent to one side of the momentary switch to prevent the sliding action of the switch actuator to the continuously “on” position.
Blaustein's single rib is designed to primarily block the switch actuator from shifting or sliding in a direction along the shaft of the toothbrush to prevent the switch actuator from being shifted to the continuously “on” position. Although this packaging arrangement may be effective to prevent the switch actuator from being slid to the continuously “on” position, the blister pak has a relatively flexible material surrounding the switch in order to permit the momentary actuation of the switch. Therefore, inadvertent actuation may still occur when multiple items having this packaging arrangement are stacked atop one another. When sufficient items are tightly packed in a box or other shipping crate, a force between packed items may be sufficient to deform of the thin blister pak material covering the switch to depress the switch to the momentary “on” position. Therefore, Blaustein's switch can be inadvertently depressed to the momentary “on” position and the power source drained.